Torrent directly to your Windows Phone 8 device with wpTorrent

Right now in your pocket (or hand) you have the power of a personal computer at your disposal. The gap between what your laptop/desktop can do versus your phone narrows every time an OS update or new app comes out. But there’s one thing we haven’t really been able to do on Windows Phone – torrent. A new app called wpTorrent happens to let you do just that. Let’s check it out.

Whether you download legal or illegal torrents is up to you. We’re not going to be your moral compass today, instead we’re just going to look at an app that allows you to do either. That app is wpTorrent and is the first native torrent client for Windows Phone. We’ve seen some remotes that allow you to control torrents on your PC (like the official uTorrent app), but as far as we can remember nothing that lets you download to the device itself. This is what you can do with wpTorrent:

Video and music playback integrated - Enables you to watch downloaded videos or play music while downloading is in progress.

File manager with web server support - You can browse and view downloaded files, and share them via HTTP.

Search engine management - You may add a web or RSS search engine, even import a engine list shared by others.

Power saving options - You may choose to stop downloading or shutdown the app when battery is low, when downloads complete, or when WIFI is not available.

The app isn’t the most beautiful to look at, but we’re able to get past that since it does what it claims to do – download torrents natively on Windows Phone. Getting the files you download off your phone to something like your PC is something that needs work. Windows Phone doesn’t have a file browser, so you won’t able to grab them from your phone. Here’s an area where SkyDrive integration would be useful (assuming your files are legit to begin with). You can share them via HTTP though.

The app has a lot of controls in the settings so you can fine-tune the download experience. You can set the maximum upload and download rates for wpTorrent. You can also make it only download over Wi-Fi and allow it to continue downloading with the screen locked.

There are two apps in the Store – wpTorrent (free, ad-supported, and limited to 200 KB/s download speed) and wpTorrent Pro ($3.99, no ads, no speed limitations). As always we recommend downloading the free version first to see if this is something you’d use on a regular basis before parting with your cash. I rarely torrent anything and it’s hard to say whether or not I fully recommend this app, which is why you should check it out yourself.

The apps are only on Windows Phone 8, grab wpTorrent here or wpTorrent Pro here. QR codes below (free on the left, paid on the right), or swipe to the right in our app to grab them.

I fully appreciate the need for security. Saying, "iOS doesn't allow it either" is not a defence. The number of things you cannot do -- not because there is no app but because it simply cannot be done -- is absolutely maddening. And it isn't about security. If it was about security, then Apps in the store would have to ask you permission to do things like access your address book, not just your location. No, it is about laziness. The simple fact that WP has not seen an update that could be unequivocally considred an upgrade since NoDo is unimaginable...but also reality.
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, security at the expense of functionality isn't worth it.
What is the security risk associated with letting people download things to an SD card vs. internal memory? Furthermore, what are the security risks associated with letting:

Me attach a PDF (or any other kind of file) to an email?

Me use Bluetooth to as a modem instead of making a WiFi hotspot?

3rd parties (not just OEMs) make equalizers?

Me edit the contents of an email reply or forward?

3rd parties make an app so that we can listen to a WAV file attached to an email?

The list goes on and on.
And then there are things that are potential security breaches, but which people nonetheless would benefit tremendously from, like the ability to use alternative keyboards, of which there are a number from well-respected companies. Or the ability to change the behavior of the background streaming popup, so I could do things like, for example, thumbs-up or thumbs-down a song in Pandora without having to go into the app.
Grown-ups should be able to make their own decisions about what constitutes an acceptible level of security risk. People who are downloading torrents are, by and large, comfortable with some level of risk. MS need to get off their duffs and expose new capabilities to developers so that they can begin to plug the many and sundry holes that WP has had since its inception, and which MS has shown no inclination to fix themselves.
For goodness sakes, people are using a program called Unity -- which is the worst piece of spyware I've seen in a long time -- because they can't get absolutely necessary and basic functionality on their devices. When people need to resort to kludges and hacks like Unity, the experience not only suffers but security is deeply reduced.

Sounds to me like android is the right OS for you. While some of those things need to happen (and will), many of those things don't happen in OSs like WP and iOS. Open source OSs allow whatever you want at the expense of user experience and security. I prefer the closed system myself, but that's just me.

A killer feature like that? Especially one so easily implemented? If it's done Microsoft will be sure to simul-launch it onto Android and iOS. /SmartGlass /Halo Waypoint Halo 4 support /Skype(somewhat)

Please, please, put the devs in touch with me! (you have my email from my login) I've been a designer for more than 15 years.
Though this app may be exceptional, the lack of design is part of what is giving WP a bad rap. I could help these guys make the best torrent app on any platform.

isn't there a contact link in the app somewhere? I think that would be a lot easier than having an unrelated third party (wpcentral) probably violate its privacy policy to share your email with the dev..

just downloaded, it does what it is made for. my experience:
I add a torrent search engine, (had t cancel the reference as it is seen as spam, anyway any search engine i tried gave the same problem.
but nothing happened. therefore I open IE, find the link of the torrent on the same search engine, copy the link and paste it in the app, and now it is downloading at 199kb/sec (free version) over wifi. I works on background, it works if screen is locked. I guess the problem is these search engine are filled of self opening windows and so on. so just use IE and you solve the problem.
but my question will be what to do with the file? the MUSThave feature is Skydrive integration. I dont want to use the internal music player, I want (in case of music, self produced by underground artists who use torrents as a way to distribute their material) play with my wp8 player...
anyway, great app, I am quite astonished by the power of my lumia 920 and wp8.

if you find a good search engine which does work inside the app, tell us please.

Ok, it is now playing. i does play using the internal app, but you dont find the files in your lbrarie, you just have to start from the torrent app. At least this is what I find out. Dont know if the only way. But imagine it took a few minutes to downloading a high quality mp3 files which are now playing like a charm... great work. defnitely, nontheless still need some updates (rename of the files,sydrive integration etc)

So if you can't tell it where to put the file, how is the file opened? For example if you were to download audio does it play in the torrent program? Is that what you mean by internal music player? Does it also have a video player? Pdf reader? Etc. I guess I will just have to try it out :)

files are dowloaded in an area organized in folders. but dunno how to access it otherwise. I DL mp3 and you play them clicking on the file, then it open the usual wp8 music miniplayer on top of the screen. but if you go inside music app, you dont find the files. you are forced to start from the app. at least what it look to me. I havent tried with other format files, I was to excited to listen to new music! :)

downloading torrent to phone, due cannot copy from SD, need to upload to skydrive, then again on PC at home re-downloading again from skydrive?
:? :? :?
unless there is direct to SD saving, seems pointless... due to need double downloading....

On the free version downloading at 240kb/s somehow. Pretty good but kinda useless if i cant add to default music player or copy to my computer or SkyDrive :/ but other than that it does exactly what it claims to and does it very well

actually the way to copy files seems this: the app gives you an internal network address like 192.168xxx and then via IE you can open it and save the files. but it didnt work on my lumia, but it did work on my (muchloved)surface, now I downloaded the file on the skydrive folder and so it available also on the skydrive app on the lumia. but nothing more. need work, but since it is beta, I will give it a 5 stars anyway... it is powerfull even not complete

Purchased the pro version. Sucks that you have to manually add the search engines but having the option to add a preferred engine is still a plus. I like it. Had to get pro since the download limit was 200kb/s. It works well and looks like a WP app. Can't wait to check playback quality. Thanks for reporting this.

How does this work for videos? I was able to change the name to RAR so that I could open in pocket file manager from wptorrent and then save to local root, but if I rename the file back to MP4, there is no option to save to music library (or I guess video library in this case). It will allow me to save it to my phone, which then shows up in my music library anyway, but not in my video library...so is it possible to get videos to show up in the video library under xbox music?

I think It's funny that the poat is saying "the gap between pc/tablet and smartphone is getting smaller with every OS update", while a few posts back everybody was angry about those updates and that they take forever...

Yes, it even plays 24k resolution, you can also watch 3D anime. /ended sarcasm.
How can it play mkv movies with sub? Do you even think when you write questions? It is a torrent app, not a video player!! Next thing you'll ask if you can play games downloaded from torrents...

The downloading part works great... its the file management afterwards that's a complete horror story. The test file I downloaded, I couldn't even delete off my phone. There's no app already on my phone that can access file, there's no in-app option to manage the download, and it saves the download in a folder that is NOT accessible via PC/USB. The only way I could delete the download was to uninstall the app itself.
I [somewhat*] understand not yet having the ability to move to skydrive or an actual accessible folder on one's phone, but not being able to delete downloads... its more than a head-scratcher and almost unforgivable.
Too bad, I would have paid $4 for the pro app if it was a little more usable.

*'Somewhat' understand because I have an app called 'Skydrive Ringtone Maker' (a misnomer, it actually does NOT make ringtones). With that app, I can save all my ringtones to a folder in Skydrive. Then with the app I can browse that folder and it will download my ringtones DIRECTLY to the ringtones folder... which is an accessible folder when you plug your phone in to a PC via USB. So I can't understand why WPtorrent can't just have the abililty to move files after download to any of the accessible folders (Documents, Music, Videos, Pictures, etc).

From the main screen, just go to the "files" area, and your download will be under the folder "Download". Once your find your file, click just to the left of the file to bring up a selector box, and the program will give you the option to delete the file. Joila.

Oh..i figured out how to transfer downloaded file to a PC. Its so simple. Click files folder icon..then click share. U need to connect your laptop to the phone via WiFi internet sharing. Then the IP showed while clicking share must be put in your laptops browser and TA-DA...you are done...ingenious WPTorrent.....thanks..no need for pro in case you are happy with 1.5Mbps download speed.

I'm finding the same thing. The app has a lot of functionality that is difficult to find (like simply being able to select files by pressing just to the left of the file name to bring up a selection box). It has a ton of potential, though.

And then all I have to do is click on the file and download them all one at a time to my PC. After that drag and drop them to music for instance. That is a royal pain. If the files could be downloaded in a batch no so bad.

Hi, just downloaded 2 torrents and removed the tasks (files are stored internal memory); when I go to Files \ Downloads and try to play them using MoliPlayer Pro, it lets me choose the app and tries to load the file but does not play. Did anyone had the same issue? At first, I managed to play a mkv file and somehow manage to transfer it to All Videos in MoliPlayer Pro app.

when can we expect update for this app as per windows phone 8.1 style, means give features like Background Downloading and Download torrents directly to the SD Card because those features were missing due windows phone 8.0 limitation (what the they said), but now i guess Microsoft have lifted the these limitation with windows phone 8.1 so......